Man Trouble Gaming Application, System, and Methods

ABSTRACT

The disclosure describes an application, system and method of a video game that simulates real world human relationships. In one embodiment, the video game first allows a game player to configure at least one target character, a fight situation and an initial level. The video game then generates at least one target character and a fight situation and a plurality of weapons relative to the fight situation. Then the video game displays the at least one target character moving in the fight situation towards a safe zone, a plurality of weapons for use by the game player, and controls at least one of the plurality of weapons based on the controls produced by the game player. The game player chases and attacks the at least one target character, preventing them from reaching the safe zone. The game player wins the game after having earned all required points by attacking the at least one target character.

COPENDING APPLICATION

This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 61/439,393 entitled “Man Trouble Gaming Application, System,and Methods”, filed on Feb. 4, 2011, having the same inventor of theinstant patent application and of which is incorporated herein byreference as if set forth in full below.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its figurescontain material subject to copyright protection. The copyright ownerhas no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patentdocument or the patent disclosure, but otherwise reserves all copyrightswhatsoever.

BACKGROUND Field

The invention relates to the field of gaming applications, and morespecifically to interactive systems and methods that include characterswho simulate real world human relationships and interactions in a gamingenvironment, such as a player whose character represents an ex-wife anda gaming character who represents an ex-husband.

Over the last several decades video games have been incorporated intothe daily routines of more and more households, and have had a majorimpact on how people spend their leisure time. In addition to providingbeneficial entertainment, playing video games can be an easy and healthyway to relieve stress as well.

Personal psychological health depends partially on the social structurein one person's daily life. People with social relationship problems getstressed out easily. And prolonged psychological stress may negativelyimpact health, both physical and mental. So people with socialrelationship problems really need to develop positive coping mechanismsto relieve the stress.

Accordingly, a video game that provides beneficial entertainment andmuch needed stress relief to all players, especially those with socialrelationship problems, would be advantageous.

SUMMARY

The aforementioned problems, and other problems, are reduced, accordingto exemplary embodiments, by the systems and methods configured toprovide a gaming experience that allows users to cope with relationshipproblems through participation in a virtual electronic game. An exampleof an electronic gaming application that recognizes a user'srelationship with other characters is set forth in U.S. Pat. No.7,677,974, to Andrew Stephen Van Luchene, entitled “Video Games Methodsand Systems”, and is incorporated herein in its entirety.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a system andmethod of video gaming are provided. In the video game, a screen withthree menu items, which are labeled as Character, Situation and Levelrespectively, is displayed. A game player can choose to configure acharacter (such as, a target character or a game player), a “fight”situation or/and an initial level of the video game through those threemenu items. At least one target character and one fight situation aregenerated. And then a plurality of “weapons” or tools is generated. Eachof the plurality of weapons is associated with the selected fightsituation.

Once the at least one target character and the fight situation aregenerated, the video game displays the at least one target charactermoving in the fight situation towards a safe zone and a plurality ofweapons available to the game player in a sub-window and controls theactions of the weapons based on the controls produced by the gameplayer.

In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, the videogame includes a plurality of levels. Furthermore, each level getsprogressively more difficult in terms of the complexity of the maze andthe speed of the target character. Each level requires different pointsto finish it. Also, each one of the plurality of levels can use adifferent one of the plurality of weapons.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the gameplayer earns points after each successful strike to the at least onetarget character. And a sub-window with the total points earned by thegame player for each game level is displayed. The game moves to anadvanced level once the required points for current level are earned.The game players wins the game only if the highest level is finishedbefore the at least one target character arrives in the safe zone.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, system oranother game player controls the movement of the at least one targetcharacter, and the at least one target character moves faster after eachattack from the game player. At every level, if the at least one targetcharacter arrives in the safe zone before the game player havingfinished current level, the game player is failed and the game is over.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the videogame system comprises a display, a floor pad, a controller, a memoryhaving a program code, and a processor configured to execute the programcode to generate at least one target character, generate a fightsituation, generate a plurality of weapons for use by a game player,generate a display having at least one target character moving in thefight situation towards a safe zone and the plurality of weapons in asub-window, control the actions of the at least one target character inthe fight situation, control the actions of each selected weapon basedon the controls generated by the game player, and generate points forthe game player after each successful attack to the at least one targetcharacter.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, the videogame system allows one user, multiple users, third party applications,or third party websites to access it through any computer devices,communication devices, or processor-controlled devices. Multiple userscan participate in a game to compete against each other via internet orother communications network.

Other systems, methods, and/or products according to embodiments will beor become apparent to one with skill in the art upon review of thefollowing drawings, and further description. It is intended that allsuch additional systems, methods, and/or products be included withinthis description, be within the scope of the present invention, and beprotected by the accompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form a part ofthe specification, illustrate embodiments of the present invention, and,together with the description, serve to better explain the principles ofthe invention. It is to be noted that the drawings illustrate onlytypical embodiments of the invention and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope, for the invention will admit to otherequally effective embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the sequence of customizing a targetcharacter, a fight situation and an initial level in accordance withsome of the exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the sequence of a game playingscenario in accordance with some of the exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a Man Trouble system inaccordance with some of the exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an operating environment for acomputer system running a Man Trouble application in accordance withsome embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a main menu of the Man Trouble application inaccordance with some of the exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 6A illustrates a Graphical User Interface (GUI) of the Man Troubleapplication for customizing the height of a character in accordance withsome of the exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 6B illustrates a GUI of the Man Trouble application for customizingthe weight of a character in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments;

FIG. 6C illustrates a GUI of the Man Trouble application for customizingthe hair of a character in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments;

FIG. 6D illustrates a GUI of the Man Trouble application for saving thename of a character in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments;

FIG. 7 illustrates a Situation Menu of the Man Trouble application forcustomizing a fight situation in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments;

FIG. 8 illustrates a GUI of the Man Trouble application for selecting aninitial level of the game to begin with in accordance with some of theexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 9 illustrates an opening display of the Man Trouble application forreviewing all the game settings in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments;

FIG. 10A illustrates a display of the Man Trouble application during thegame in accordance with some of the exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 10B illustrates a display of the Man Trouble application when thegame fails in accordance with some of the exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the Man Trouble system inaccordance with some of the exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view from a game player during a gameof the Man Trouble system in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram of the Man Trouble system inaccordance with some of the exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 14A illustrates exemplary data and module relationships of the ManTrouble application in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments;

FIG. 14B illustrates exemplary data and module relationships of a MazeModule in accordance with some of the exemplary embodiments; and

FIG. 14C illustrates exemplary data and module relationships of aCharacter Creation Module in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments.

DESCRIPTION

The present invention provides a video game application, system andmethod where a game player competes against at least one targetcharacter that simulate real world persons, with whom the game playerhas social relationship problems, by using a plurality of weapons. Theat least one target character may be controlled by system or anothergame player to move in a fight situation towards a safe zone. The gameplayer chases the at least one target character and attacks them,preventing them from reaching the safe zone.

In the proposed invention, the video game takes the game player's pointof view. Each target character and fight situation may be systemgenerated or configured by the game player. The game player configuresthe characteristics of a target character in order to simulate a realworld person, such as, an ex-husband, a schoolmate, a colleague orsupervisor of the game player, a bully, etc. The game player configuresthe fight situation according to her/his preference. The possible fightlocations may be both indoor and outdoor ones, such as, the home, thegrocery store, an office, a school, a roadway scenario to simulateexperience other drivers (and thereby simulating potential “road rage”),etc. In accordance with some embodiments, the game player is not shownduring play; however, as one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates,the game player may alternatively be displayed during play whichrequires configuration of the characteristics of the game player.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, eachavailable weapon at every moment is linked to the fight situation ofthat moment. For example, when the at least one target character movesto a kitchen, the available weapons may include a frying pan, or arolling pin. A certain number of points may be required to use aspecific weapon. Such that the game player may have the enough points touse a fly swatter, but may not have the enough points for a baseballbat.

Each strike to the target character makes him/her move faster. And eachsuccessful strike generates points for the game player. The number ofpoints earned is also determined by the types of the weapons. Usually asuccessful strike using a larger weapon generates more points than theone using a smaller weapon.

In a preferred embodiment of the video game of the present invention,each game consists of three levels: Beginner, Moderate and Advanced.Each level has different complexity of fight environment, differentmoving speed of the target character, and different plurality of weaponsavailable. Furthermore, each level comprises of a specific number ofsessions. For example, the Beginner level may further comprise of foursessions, and the game player is required to finish all those foursessions before finishing this level. In accordance with the preferredembodiment, the game player chooses the initial level of a game. Thegame player proceeds to a more advanced level after having earnedcertain required points for all the sessions of the current level andwins the game after having finished all the sessions of the highestlevel of the game. If all the target characters have reached the safezone before the game player earns the enough points to finish thehighest level, then the game player fails and the game may be ended orover.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the video gamesystem provides web services, web server and web APIs to allow differentways of accessing by one user, multiple users, third party applications,or third party websites. And the system can be accessed through anycomputer devices, communication devices, or processor-controlleddevices. Multiple users are able to compete against each other viaInternet through the aforementioned ways. For example, one user may alsochoose to play the role as a target character and then control thebehaviors of the target character to battle against another user viainternet.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart illustrating the sequence of customizing at leastone target character, a fight situation and an initial level inaccordance with some of the exemplary embodiments. In step 101, a MainMenu with three menu items labeled as Character, Situation and Level isdisplayed. And then, preferably, after a user chooses to customize theat least one target character, in step 102, a Character Menu isdisplayed to allow the customization of the at least one targetcharacter. And the customization of the at least one target charactercomprises the configuring of the gender, race, height, weight, hair,eyes, name and other properties of the at least one target character. Instep 103, the user may continue to customize the fight situation througha Situation Menu. The available situations include both indoor ones,such as, house, apartment building, office building, grocery store, andschool, etc, and outdoor ones as well, such as, city street, playground,forest, beach, and amusement park, etc. Next, in step 104, the userselects the initial level of the game before the video game begins.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating the sequence of a game playingscenario in accordance with some of the exemplary embodiments. Once thevideo game starts, in step 201, it displays at least one targetcharacter moving towards a safe zone in a fight situation, and also aplurality of weapons in a sub-window. In step 202, a game player choosesa specific weapon from the sub-window to strike the at least one targetcharacter. In decision 203, if the game player has made a successfulstrike, certain points are earned in step 204, otherwise no points aregained by the game player and the at least one target will move fastertowards the end in step 209. After the step 204, in decision 205, if therequired points to finish current session have been earned, then it goesto another decision 207, otherwise the at least one target characterwill move faster towards the safe zone in the step 209. In the decision207, if the current session is the highest session of the highest level,then the game player wins in an ending state 208, otherwise the gameplayer moves to a higher session/level in step 206, and then the atleast one target character moves faster towards the safe zone in thestep 209. Every time after the step 209, the video game system goes backto the step 201.

In the mean time, in step 210, system controls the at least one targetcharacter to move towards the safe zone automatically in the fightsituation, although moves faster after each strike of the game player.In decision 211, if all the target characters reach the safe zone, thegame is failed in an ending state 212; otherwise the video game goesback to the step 201.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a Man Trouble system 300 inaccordance with some of the exemplary embodiments. On the server side,the Man Trouble system 300 comprises a Man Trouble application 311 withits database 350 running on a server 340. The Man Trouble system 300 canbe accessed by a electronic system through various ways, for example, itprovides a web service 342 allowing interoperable interactions betweenthe electronic system and the Man Trouble system 300 over internetthrough SOAP; it can also works as a web server 344 allowing theelectronic system to access to the Man Trouble application 311 viaInternet through HTTP; and it even provides web APIs 346 allowing theelectronic system to call different functions of the Man Troubleapplication 311. And the electronic system can be any computer devices,communication devices, or processor-controlled devices, such as ahandheld device 314, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) 316, a laptop 312,a PDA 318 or a desktop 320, etc. And Man Trouble application medium(DVD) 313 can run on any one of those devices with an appropriate DVDdrive.

A user 321 can access to the Man Trouble system 300 through any one ofthe aforementioned ways. Additionally other users, players and viewers325 can participate in a game to compete against the user 321 viainternet. Furthermore, third party websites or applications 371 canaccess to the Man Trouble system 300 via internet as well. For example,a third party website may incorporate the Man Trouble application 311 asone of its sub-components in its platform.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of an operating environment for acomputer system 400 running the Man Trouble application 311 inaccordance with some embodiments of the present invention. It may alsorepresent the operating environment for any communication devices, orprocessor-controlled device. The Man Trouble application 311 resideswithin a system memory device, such as, a memory subsystem 448, a flashmemory 450, or a peripheral storage device 452. For example, as shown inFIG. 4, the Man Trouble application 311 operates within the memorysubsystem 448 and a Man Trouble Application Medium (DVD) 313. The ManTrouble application 311, however, could also operate within the flashmemory 450 or the peripheral storage device 452.

The computer system 400 also has one or more central processors 454executing the operating system. One example of the central processor 454is a microprocessor. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., for example,manufactures a full line of ATHLON™ microprocessors (ATHLON™ is atrademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., One AMD Place, P.O. Box 3453,Sunnyvale, Calif. 94088-3453, 408.732.2400, 800.538.8450, www.amd.com).The Intel Corporation also manufactures a family of X86 and P86microprocessors (Intel Corporation, 2200 Mission College Blvd., SantaClara, Calif. 95052-8119, 408.765.8080, www.intel.com). Othermanufacturers also offer microprocessors. Such other manufacturersinclude Motorola, Inc. (1303 East Algonquin Road, P.O. Box A3309Schaumburg, Ill. 60196, www.Motorola.com), International BusinessMachines Corp. (New Orchard Road, Armonk, N.Y. 10504, (914) 499-1900,www.ibm.com), and Transmeta Corp. (3940 Freedom Circle, Santa Clara,Calif. 95054, www.transmeta.com). Those skilled in the art furtherunderstand that the program, processes, methods, and systems describedherein are not limited to any particular manufacturer's centralprocessor.

The operating system has a set of instructions that control the internalfunctions of the computer system 400. In an exemplary embodiment, theWINDOWS® (WINDOWS® is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation,One Microsoft Way, Redmond Wash. 98052-6399, 425.882.8080,www.Microsoft.com) operating system may be used. Other operatingsystems, however, are also suitable. Such other operating systems wouldinclude the UNIX® operating system (UNIX® is a registered trademark ofthe Open Source Group, www.opensource.org), the UNIX-based Linuxoperating system, WINDOWS NT®, and Mac® OS (Mac® is a registeredtrademark of Apple Computer, Inc., 1 Infinite Loop, Cupertino, Calif.95014, 408.996.1010, www.apple.com). Those of ordinary skill in the artagain understand that the program, processes, methods, and systemsdescribed herein are not limited to any particular operating system

A system bus 456 communicates signals, such as, control signals, datasignals, and address signals, between the central processor 454 and asystem controller 458. The system controller 458 provides a bridgingfunction between the one or more central processors 454, a graphicssubsystem 460, the memory subsystem 448, and a PCI (PeripheralController Interface) bus 462. The PCI bus 462 is controlled by aPeripheral Bus Controller 464. The Peripheral Bus Controller 464 is anintegrated circuit that serves as an input/output hub for variousperipheral ports. These peripheral ports could include, for example, anaudio/media port 463, a keyboard port 466, a mouse port 468, a serialport 470, and/or a parallel port 472 for a video display unit, one ormore external device ports 474, one or more biometrics device ports 471,and networking ports 476 (such as USB, SCSI, or Ethernet). Those ofordinary skill in the art understand that the program, processes,methods, and systems described herein are not limited to any particularcomputer system or computer hardware.

The system memory device, including the memory subsystem 448, the flashmemory 450, or the peripheral storage device 452, may also contain anapplication program, which cooperates with the operating system and witha video display unit (via the serial port 470 and/or the parallel port472) to provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI). The GUI typicallyincludes a combination of signals communicated along the peripheralports, such as the keyboard port 466 and the mouse port 468, etc. TheGUI provides a convenient visual and/or audible interface with a user ofthe computer system 400. With reference to FIGS. 5 to 10B, there isillustrated a plurality of GUIs of the Man Trouble application 311 inaccordance with some of the exemplary embodiments.

FIG. 5 illustrates a main menu 500 of the Man Trouble application 311 inaccordance with some of the exemplary embodiments. The main menu 500comprises three menu items: a Character Setting item 501 labeled as“Character”, a Situation Setting item 502 labeled as “Situation”, and aLevel setting item 503 labeled as “Level”. The selection of theCharacter Setting item 501 navigates a user to the step of configuringof a target character. The selection of the Situation Setting item 502navigates the user to the step of customizing of a fight situation. Andthe selection of the Level Setting item 503 navigates the user to thestep of selecting the initial level of the game playing. Those are thethree major steps for the configuration of the video game before thegame starts. After users click on a Forward Button 504 in the bottom,system goes to the current selected step. However by clicking on a BackButton 505 the current selected item is cancelled and it also navigatesback to the previous window.

FIG. 6A illustrates a GUI 600 of the Man Trouble application 311 forcustomizing the height of a character in accordance with some of theexemplary embodiments. As shown in FIG. 6A, a Height Setting item 601labeled as “Height” under the customization of a male character has beenselected, and a user is allowed to adjust the height of the character bydragging on a slider bar 602. After users click on a Forward Button 603in the bottom, the system saves the setting and then go to the defaultnext window. However by clicking on a Back Button 604 the currentsetting are cancelled and it also navigates back to the previous window.And the game player can always go back to the Main Menu 500 by clickingon a Main Menu Button 605.

FIG. 6B illustrates a GUI 610 of the Man Trouble application 311 forcustomizing the weight of a character in accordance with some of theexemplary embodiments. As shown in FIG. 6B, a Weight Setting item 611labeled as “Weight” under the customization of a male character has beenselected, and a user is allowed to adjust the weight of the character bydragging on a slider bar 612. After users click on a Forward Button 613in the bottom, the system saves the setting and then go to the defaultnext window. However by clicking on a Back Button 614 the currentsetting are cancelled and it also navigates back to the previous window.And the game player can always go back to the Main Menu 500 by clickingon a Main Menu Button 615.

FIG. 6C illustrates a GUI 620 of the Man Trouble application 311 forcustomizing the hair of a character in accordance with some of theexemplary embodiments. As shown in FIG. 6C, a Hair Setting item 621labeled as “Hair” under the customization of a male character has beenselected, and a user is allowed to configure the hair of the characterby selecting one hair style from a list of hair styles 622 and draggingon a slider bar 623 to adjust the hair color. After users click on aForward Button 624 in the bottom, system saves the configuration andthen go to the default next window. However by clicking on a Back Button625 the current configuration are cancelled and it also navigates backto the previous window. And the game player can always go back to theMain Menu 500 by clicking on a Main Menu Button 626.

FIG. 6D illustrates a GUI 630 of the Man Trouble application 311 forsaving the name of a character in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments. After selecting a Name Setting item under the customizationof a male character, a user is allowed to name the character throughinputting a Text Field 631. After users click on a Forward Button 632 inthe bottom, system will save the setting and then go to the default nextwindow. However by clicking on a Back Button 633 the current setting arecancelled and it also navigates back to the previous window. And thegame player can always go back to the Main Menu 500 by clicking on aMain Menu Button 634.

FIG. 7 illustrates a Situation Menu 700 of the Man Trouble application311 for customizing a fight situation in accordance with some of theexemplary embodiments. The situation Menu 700 allows a user to choose asituation from a Situation List 701. After users click on a ForwardButton 702 in the bottom, system will save the situation selection andthen go to the default next window. However by clicking on a Back Button703 the current setting are cancelled and it also navigates back to theprevious window. And the game player can always go back to the Main Menu500 by clicking on a Main Menu Button 704.

FIG. 8 illustrates a GUI 800 of the Man Trouble application 311 forselecting an initial level of the game to begin with in accordance withsome of the exemplary embodiments. The GUI 800 allows a user to selectthe initial level from a Level List 802 that is composed of threelevels: Beginner, Moderate and Advanced. And since the environmentlayout is determined by the level, as users click on each level in theLevel List 802, the corresponding environment layout is shown in apreview window 801. After users click on a Forward Button 803 in thebottom, system saves the level setting and then goes to the default nextwindow. However by clicking on a Back Button 804 the current levelsetting is cancelled and it also navigates back to the previous window.And the game player can always go back to the Main Menu 500 by clickingon a Main Menu Button 805.

FIG. 9 illustrates an opening display 900 of the Man Trouble application311 for reviewing all the game settings in accordance with some of theexemplary embodiments. The opening display 900 allows a game player toreview and confirm all the settings of the game before game begins. Itincludes a Maze Skeleton sub-window 901 displaying the skeleton of atight situation, an Actual Maze sub-window 902 displaying the actualgame playing scenario, a Target Character sub-window 903 displaying acustomized target character, and a Weapon sub-window 904 displaying allthe available weapons based on the situation setting. After users clickon a Forward Button 905 in the bottom, system will save the gamesettings and then go to the default next window. However by clicking ona Back Button 906 the current game settings are cancelled and it alsonavigates back to the previous window. And the game player can always goback to the Main Menu 500 by clicking on a Main Menu Button 907.

FIG. 10A illustrates a display 1000 of the Man Trouble application 311during the game in accordance with some of the exemplary embodiments.The display 1000 depicts a system controlled target character 1001moving in a fight situation towards a safe zone 1004, a hammer 1003chosen from the weapon sub-window 1002 by a game player to strike thetarget character 1001, a Time Text field 1005 illustrating the lapsedtime after game starts, and a Points Text Field 1006 illustrating thecurrent points earned by the game player. And the target character 1001moves faster after the strike by the hammer 1003.

FIG. 10B illustrates a display 1010 of the Man Trouble application 311when the game fails in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments. In the display 1010 the target character 1001 has arrivedin the safe zone 1004 before the game player earns the enough points tofinish the highest level, so the game player fails and game is over.

FIG. 11 illustrates a perspective view of the Man Trouble system 300 inaccordance with some of the exemplary embodiments. The Man Troublesystem 300 comprises a display 1101, a controller 1102, a floor pad1104, and a computer device 1105 with memory having a program code and aprocessor configured to execute the program code. A game player 1103uses the controller 1102 to send a plurality of control signals to theMan Trouble system 300, such as, the control signals for how tocustomize a target character, a fight situation and an initial level,select one weapon from a weapon sub-window 1106, or strike a targetcharacter 1107 by the selected weapon, etc. In the meantime, the floorpad 1104 is used to test the game player 1103 on her/his timing andcoordination, running speed, or to play music with different steps, etc.

To catch the more intuitive motion-sensing wave, the controller 1102 andthe floor pad 1104 may also be replaced by a motion control camera ormotion sensor with microphone, which wirelessly tracks players'full-body movements, voices and faces. So the game player can play gamesusing more natural body movements and issuing voice commands.

FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view 1200 from the game player 1103during the game for the Man trouble system 300 in accordance with someof the exemplary embodiment. According to the perspective view from thegame player 1103, shown in the displayer 1101, the target character 1107is moving towards a safe zone in a fight situation, and the weaponsub-window 1106 and some other menu items are ready to receive controlsignals from the controller 1102. The game player 1103 uses thecontroller 1102 held in her/his hand to send appropriate control signalsto system. The fight situation includes blockades and obstacles thatinterfere with hitting the target character 1107, such as, for example,furniture, buildings, trees, people, cars, purses, luggage, etc. Usingthe controller 1102, the game player 1103 can get around thoseobstacles.

FIG. 13 illustrates a block diagram 1300 of the Man Trouble system 300in accordance with some of the exemplary embodiments. As shown in theblock diagram 1300, the Man Trouble system 300 comprises a display 1301such as Television, a game controller 1306, a DISC drive 1305 storing aprogram code and related data, a memory 1302 having the program code, aprocessor 1304 configured to execute the program code, and a pluralityof I/O interfaces 1303 with necessary logic to interpret the deviceaddress generated by the processor 1304 and allow the communicationsbetween the processor 1304 and I/O devices.

FIG. 14A illustrates exemplary data and module relationships of the ManTrouble application 311 in accordance with some of the exemplaryembodiments. The Man Trouble application 311 comprises a Maze Module1401 including different levels of maze, a Situation Menu Module 1402for different situations, a Weapon Module 1403 for different weapons, aCharacter Creation Module 1404 including the generations of male andfemale characters, and a Points Generator Module 1405 including thetracking of strikes. More specifically, FIG. 14B illustrates theexemplary data and module relationships of the Character Creation Module1404 in accordance with some of the exemplary embodiments. The CharacterCreation Module 1404 includes a plurality of sub-modules forconfigurations of Race, Height, Weight, Hair, Eyes, Name and some otherproperties. And each sub-module includes a plurality of sub-componentswith a plurality of parameters, for example, a sub-module 1406 for theconfiguration of Hair includes a plurality of sub-components 1407 fordifferent hair styles, and each sub-component further includes aplurality of parameters 1408, such as different kinds of colors. FIG.14C illustrates the exemplary data and module relationships of the MazeModule 1401 in accordance with some of the exemplary embodiments. TheMaze Module 1401 includes a plurality of sub-modules 1409 for differentdifficulty levels of maze, and each sub-module further includes aplurality of parameters 1410.

This invention now will be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodimentsare shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments setforth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosurewill be thorough and complete and will fully convey the scope of theinvention to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, allstatements herein reciting embodiments of the invention, as well asspecific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural andfunctional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that suchequivalents include both currently known equivalents as well asequivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed thatperform the same function, regardless of structure).

Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill inthe art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the likerepresent conceptual views or perspective views illustrating some of theweb system, graphical user interfaces, system and methods embodying thisinvention. The functions of the various elements shown in the figuresmay be provided through the use of dedicated hardware that may vary inshape, attachment, size, and other physical features. Those of ordinaryskill in the art further understand that the exemplary systems, and/ormethods described herein are for illustrative purposes and, thus, arenot intended to be limited to any particular named manufacturer or otherrelevant physical limitation (e.g., webpage design).

While the present invention has been described with respect to variousfeatures, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilled in theart will recognize the invention is not so limited. Other variations,modifications, and alternative embodiments may be made without departingfrom the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1. A method of video gaming, comprising: generating at least one target character; generating a fight situation; generating a plurality of weapons for use by a game player; displaying the at least one target character in the fight situation and the plurality of weapons; controlling the actions of the at least one target character in the fight situation; controlling the actions of each selected weapon based on the controls generated by the game player; and generating points for the game player after each successful attack to the at least one target character.
 2. The method of video gaming according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of weapons is generated based on the fight situation.
 3. The method of video gaming according to claim 1, further comprising generating a display to allow the game player to customize the at least one target character.
 4. The method of video gaming according to claim 1, further comprising generating a plurality of displays to allow the game player to configure the gender, race, height, weight, hair, eyes, name, and the other properties of the at least one target character.
 5. The method of video gaming according to claim 1, further comprising generating a display to allow the game player to customize the fight situation.
 6. The method of video gaming according to claim 1, wherein the fight situation includes both indoor and outdoor environments.
 7. The method of video gaming according to claim 1, wherein the fight situation includes a plurality of levels.
 8. The method of video gaming according to claim 1, further comprising moving to an advanced level after the game player have earned the required points for current level.
 9. The method of video gaming according to claim 1, further comprising determining the game player wins after having earned the required points for the highest level before the at least one target character arrives in a safe zone.
 10. The method of video gaming according to claim 1, further comprising speeding up the actions of the at least one target character after each attack by the game player.
 11. A video game system, comprising: a display; a floor pad; a controller; memory having a program code; and a processor configured to execute the program code to generate at least one target character, generate a fight situation, generate a plurality of weapons for use by the game player, generate a display having at least one target character in the fight situation and the plurality of weapons, control the actions of the at least one target character in the fight situation, control the actions of each selected weapon based on the controls generated by the game player; and generate points for the game player after each successful attack to the at least one target character.
 12. The system according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of weapons is generated based on the fight situation.
 13. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the program code to generate a display to allow the game player to customize the at least one target character.
 14. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the program code to generate a plurality of displays to allow the game player to configure the gender, race, height, weight, hair, eyes, name, and the other properties of the at least one target character.
 15. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the program code to generate a display to allow the game player to customize the fight situation.
 16. The system according to claim 11, wherein the fight situation includes at least one of an indoor environment and an outdoor environment.
 17. The system according to claim 11, wherein the fight situation includes a plurality of levels.
 18. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the program code to move to an advanced level after the game player have earned the required points for current level.
 19. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the program code to determine the game player wins after having earned the required points for the highest level before the at least one target character arrives in a safe zone.
 20. The system according to claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to execute the program code to speed up the actions of the at least one target character after each attack by the game player.
 21. The system according to claim 11, wherein it provides web services, web server and web APIs to allow different ways of accessing by one user, multiple users, third party applications, or third party websites.
 22. The system according to claim 11, wherein it can be accessed through any computer devices, communication devices, or processor-controlled device.
 23. The system according to claim 11, wherein it allows multiple game players to participate in a game together via interne. 